


Town Fair

by panther



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-08-07
Updated: 2015-08-07
Packaged: 2018-04-13 11:19:42
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 500
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4519932
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/panther/pseuds/panther
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Lily wants to go to the town fair and Severus doesn't and never has. She takes him anyway and it is better than he thought, especially his fish and chips.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Town Fair

The town fair is something the Snape family has always avoided. His mother has no interest and his father never rises from his drunken stupor in time. Severus is sure his mother would find a few coins for him to go if he asks but the bright lights and the all the happiness are just too much for him. He is too quiet and too aware of his reality to escape from it that way, even for just a few hours. He would much rather sit with one of his mother's old school books in the garden or a muggle story book from the library in the park. Lily changes all of that of course when she moves in and befriends him. She wants to go the fair and is utterly adamant that Severus accompany her. He spends the entire week arguing with her while knowing he will end up going and on the Friday asks his mother for some money. She seems utterly delighted and even goes into the small savings box she keeps disguised with magic as an old book to give him some extra. 

None of the rides appeal to Severus but he smiles as Lily laughs her way around the carousel and he treats himself to a bottle of cold cola and then later some fish and chips. They wait in the queue for what feels like hours talking about everything and nothing until the burning hot newspaper is put into their hands and their tarnished gold pounds handed over. They move the bags from one hand to the other as they scamper down the street to an empty bench and put them down onto the cold wood. Grinning they dig in, the chips hot and greasy. They don't taste like chips but something more than chips that cannot be replicated outside of scabby looking chip shops that smell of fat and grease. Lily has drowned hers in vinegar and Severus has his coated in that unique chip shop brown sauce that runs far more than any shop bought version and tastes different too. They lick their fingers at the end and wipe hands on their knees. Lily's light blue dress darkens with grease stains for the rest of the day. 

They spend a couple of hours wandering around the used book stalls and looking at comics neither have any real interest in. Lily buys a couple of old records and Severus a book on wild flowers. When the stalls start to close up Severus spends the last of his money on piles of fudge that they sneak off the community pond to eat until they are sick with it. Neither finishes their dinner that night and both get warm smiles from their mother's. Severus is certain his plate was already smaller than normal anyway. He never goes again, because really it is not his thing but he is glad that he tried and he is glad his mother smiled. It is a beautifully rare sight.


End file.
